PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition characterized by depression, anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, and other symptoms after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic experience. The symptoms were found described in letters from the US Civil War. World War I Veterans who showed symptoms received the diagnosis of “Shell-Shocked”. The term shell-shock was replaced by a Combat Stress Reaction for WWII. The evolution of veterans coming home with mental health issues from war entered the DSM3 in 1980 as PTSD. (PTSD.va.gov)
February 2020 in the US, we observed the death toll of Covid-19 overseas as the disease trickled into the individual states. In the late spring and early summer, the disease was everywhere. Most patients never left the hospital. Nurse, doctor, and assistive staff noticed as patients grew sicker and non-compliant. Several did not realize how sick they were until it was too late. There weren’t enough ICU beds or ventilators. Nurses watched as the patient died, suffocating and struggling for their last breath. Death occurred daily.
The pandemic became a breaking point for several nurses. The patients were very sick and the numbers rose. Staffing ratios of one nurse to six, seven or eight patients, nurses and other staff surround by death came home exhausted, anxious, overwhelmed and depressed. Many nurses left the bedside and the career altogether.
The nurses have been hit before. After WWII, the US found themselves with a nursing shortage between 1945 to 1965. The country was under stress. These women who help in the war efforts observe soldiers die, with loss of limb, horrific wounds and sickness. Many of these women had complaints of anxiety and depression. The term of shell shock was only used to describe the soldiers. Women at home had to take care of the family, husbands and older children at war, the house and family. War time efforts used 25% of all nurses by the end. The stress, low pays, staffing shortage and horrible working environments were so bad many nurses of the 1940s left the bedside. The nursing shortage took two decades until the nursing numbers increased to sufficient numbers.
Now with the pandemic going into its fourth year. The priority of family, work quantity and overall stress and anxiety. The number of patients is increasing as the largest generation is entering into retirement age or older. Measures to keep the workforce needs to be implemented. Anyone who has been to the hospital knows that our medical system is flawed. Our nurses are disrespected, abused, and neglected.
Our nurses need better patient ratios, better pay, the basic equipment for the job at hand, and better mental health and medical health outlet. Self care is important, but it is not enough to fix the situation. Federal reforms need to go into effect, otherwise it will be another two decades.